What is “baby-bottle” tooth decay?
When an infant or small child develops several cavities, usually on the top front teeth, it is called baby bottle tooth decay. These cavities may look like dark pits, holes or broken teeth and may cause toothaches and make it hard for the child to eat. What causes baby bottle tooth decay? It happens when liquids that contain sugar are left in a baby s mouth for long or frequent periods of time. Even breast milk and formula contain sugar. How can you protect your child s teeth? Your child should not • go to bed with a bottle filled with milk, formula, juice or sweetened drink • sleep at night at the breast • drink from a bottle throughout the day • use a pacifier if it is dipped in honey, syrup or anything sweet, such as Jello water, soda pop, fruit juice, Kool-Aid , sugar water, milk or formula Your child should • start drinking from a cup at 6 months of age and be weaned from his or her bottle by 1 year of age • go to bed without a bottle. If your child must have a bottle to sleep, fi
Baby bottle tooth decay (BBTD) is the main type of tooth decay in infants. Infants that are allowed to have a bottle in bed or older toddlers that are allowed to carry around a bottle during the day are at risk for this type of tooth decay. Although the decay can start soon after your child’s baby teeth appear, the problem is often not noticed until about 1 year of age. The earliest sign is white spots on the baby teeth. The upper front teeth (incisors) are usually damaged first.
It is severe tooth decay common in infants and toddlers. Cavities develop from an interaction between normal bacteria in the mouth and carbohydrates. As these sugars are fermented by the bacteria in the mouth, they are converted into an acid. This acid then starts to eat at the enamel of the teeth. This form of decay is present mainly on the upper four front teeth, and if not treated can destroy the teeth.
Baby bottle tooth decay is the creation of many cavities on your baby’s teeth so that only the “stumps” of the teeth can be seen. This condition can occur after only a few weeks of putting your baby to sleep with milk or juice in his or her baby bottle. Because your baby’s tooth enamel (the hard outer “shell” of a tooth) is fairly soft, your baby is very vulnerable to tooth decay. Often, there is so much tooth decay that your baby’s teeth cannot be restored. What should I do if my baby’s tooth is knocked out? • Do not clean the tooth. Just place it in cool milk or salt water. • Get to the dentist within one hour-the tooth may or may not be reimplanted into your baby’s tooth socket.
A. Early Childhood Caries (ECC), formerly known as, Baby bottle tooth decay (BBTD) is a condition that causes severe and rapid destruction of baby teeth. ECC is the result of a combination of frequent consumption of sugary liquids like: breast milk, soda, juice, etc.) and poor oral hygiene. Feeding on such liquids through a bottle or sippy cup results in a distinct pattern of caries, in which the upper front teeth are first to decay. As the disease spreads, other teeth may be involved as well. It is important to understand that frequency of feeding is more important than what the child is actually feeding on. Q. How can I prevent cavities in my child? A. Cavities in children can be avoided by monitoring a child’s diet, their frequency of food/liquid intake, and good oral hygiene. A bottle or sippy cup with sugary liquids should not be used to put children to sleep or for long periods during the day. If a bottle is used to put a child to bed, it should be removed when the baby falls asl
